K-drama star Park Sung-hoon, who has delivered splendid performances in various shows, recently spoke about the difficulties of portraying a trans character in Squid Game Season 2. The actor anticipated backlash but felt surprised and humbled by the positive feedback for his portrayal of Cho Hyun-ju, a trans woman competing in the life-threatening games to fund her gender-affirming surgery.
As Park Sung-hoon explained during an interview with Variety, “I was quite amazed at the opportunity. I felt like as an actor it was going to be quite the challenge. I did have concerns about portraying a trans woman because I am a cisgender man, so I wanted to approach it as cautiously and thoughtfully as possible.” he shared.
The director and show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk earlier explained the problem of casting a transgender actor for the role due to the limited representation of openly transgender actors in South Korea. Speaking to TVGuide, Hwang admitted that authentic casting posed a challenge, making it nearly impossible to find someone suitable for the role.
Park Sung-hoon Shared Challenges
To prepare, Park said on vast research. He had played openly gay characters before in The Pride and Two Weddings and a Funeral, and he sought consultation with transgender individuals to understand them better. That effort helped in his compelling and nuanced performance that touched the hearts of audiences all over the world.
Park’s role of Cho Hyun-ju is a strong call for more transgender representation in mainstream media, which can be a much-needed conversation for South Korea and the world at large.